Personal Trainer’s Top Ab Exercises for Women

Women want great abs, too. Here’s how the top personal trainers help them achieve it:

Back in 1947, a man by the name of Arthur Godfrey wrote this swingin little tune called Too Fat Polka. The chorus went a little something like this… eh emm. Me me me meeeeee.

“I don’t want her, you can have her, she’s too fat for me. She’s too fat for me. She’s too fat for me. I don’t want her, you can have her, she’s too fat for me. She’s too fat, she’s too fat, she’s too fat for me.” Judging by the time this song was released, I’d say it was pretty racy. But on the other hand, perhaps back then people had a different sense of humor and weren’t as fragile as today.

The bottom line is, you can’t get rich from used coffee grinds. And you also can’t get fat if you do the right things. If you are a woman, you know firsthand how much appearance matters, and it’s totally fine to admit that. It matters to us men too.

By doing the right things, you can maintain your weight, lose weight and move weight with grace and ease. When it comes to your midsection, we take this area very seriously at My Six-pack Challenge headquarters. Why not? It’s the centerpiece of a nice physique and it’s part of the all-important core.

That being said, I’m going to unveil five key exercises that you should put into your regular fitness regimen. Just remember, you cannot spot reduce fat, you ARE capable of getting definition and don’t drink a ton of alcohol and expect results!

Now that I got that out of the way, let’s get to the action. Be on guard. These are some advanced drills I’m about to cover. You might want to put the kids to bed early.

Hanging Leg Raises

Off-the-ground training is second to none when it comes to improving shoulder strength and function. As a big added bonus, it also devastates your midsection. Try this number on for size and watch what happens.

Grasp a pull-up bar or equivalent object with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Pull your shoulder blades down and inward by contracting your upper lats. This will keep your upper body still while you do the exercise.

Raise your legs up as high as you can, slowly lower them back down and repeat. Do not swing and sway and flop around like a fish. You want to create tension in your abs and keep your body as stable as possible.

If it’s too hard to keep your legs straight, bend your knees when you first start out. As you get stronger, you’ll be able to extend them out gracefully like a swan expanding her wings.

Ab Wheel Pikes

The good old American ab wheel is one of the most simple, yet vicious ab-training devices ever invented. Get ready for the pike because it will wake you up from a dead sleep.

Grasp the handle of the wheel on both sides firmly and stand with your feet together. Bend forward and place the wheel on the ground with your legs straight. Push the wheel forward as far as you can as you lower your body toward the floor. Make bloody sure that you curl your pelvis under slightly and keep your abs tight. This will prevent you from falling flat on your face and crumpling up in a ball from crippling back pain.

Roll the wheel back to the starting point and repeat for a series of reps.

If this task is too arduous, start out on your knees. Once you build up your strength, you’ll be able to move to your feet.

Did I mention that ab wheel pikes also target the heck out of your hamstrings? Well they do, which gives you even more of a reason to perform them.

Kettlebell Turkish Get-ups

The kettlebell is one of my favorite training implements of all time. Much like a crazy boyfriend or girlfriend, if you treat it right, it can do wonderful things for you. If you disrespect it, it can ravage you to a pulp.

You are in good hands because I’m going to give you detailed instructions on how to do this beautiful exercise.

I suggest going really light with your kettlebell until you get the moves down. You’ll still feel a high amount of tension on your abs so it’s a win-win. Tukish get-ups also elevate your heart rate into the stratosphere!

Lie flat on your back with a kettlebell off to your right side in line with your chest. It should be placed at a distance that is about the length from your elbow to your fingers away.

Roll into the fetal position on your right side and grasp the handle with your right hand. Wrap your left hand over your right and pin your elbow to the floor right by your side. Just for the record, this is called a pistol grip.

Use your elbow as a lever point and roll onto your back as you pull the kettlebell into the “rack position.” It will be resting on the side of your chest and pressed tightly to your body.

Push the bell straight above your chest with both arms until your right arm is fully extended. Remove your left hand and place your arm flat on the floor about 45 degrees from your body. Place your palm flat on the floor as well.

Form a straight line from your right hand all the way down to your shoulder. This means there should be no bend in your wrist or elbow. Literally push the back of your shoulder into the floor to keep it stable.

Now extend your left leg out from your body so it’s parallel to your arm and place your right foot flat on the floor with your knee bent.

Simultaneously press into your right foot, left heel and left hand as you come up on your left forearm. Keep your eyes fixed on the kettlebell as you do this and form a straight line from your left elbow to right hand. Do not slouch like your posing for a swimsuit shoot on a beach in Maui.

Corkscrew your hand into the floor as you straighten your left arm and hold for a second.

Lift your hips off the ground until you have a straight line from your left heel to your shoulder. This is called a high bridge position.

Hold for a split second then sweep your left leg under your body. As you do this place the toes of your left foot on the floor and point them toward your right heel.

Swing your left knee out like a gate opening and lightly place it on the floor. Your knee should be pointing right at your left hand at this point.

Bend laterally upward as you swivel your left foot on the floor. Stop when you form a straight line with your back and front leg, and now fix your gaze straight ahead.

Are You Up to the Challenge?

#MySixPackChallenge is designed to help you reach your personal best. Do this online program anywhere, and get in the best shape of your life!

Make any adjustments with your front foot that are necessary to get your legs in a straight line. Act like you are kneeling on a 2 x 4.

Press your right foot into the floor and drive yourself upward. Step forward with your left and place it right by your right. Hold for a full second, then take a big step back with your left foot and repeat the steps in reverse order.

Make sure to keep your abs tight throughout the entire exercise.

Crawling

You will need a bit of space to pull crawling off. A hallway or big open room will work just fine.

Start on all fours with your hands right under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.

Carefully lift your knees up so they are just above the floor. Keep your abs tight because you have no choice, and start crawling. Move your opposite arm and leg at the same time as you do this. That is the trick to crawling.

You also want to keep your back parallel to the floor throughout.

Crawl about 10 feet when you first start out and gradually increase your distance. Once you go to a certain destination, crawl backwards to your starting point.

Sprints

Do you know what happens when you sprint? You burn a ton of calories, you breathe really heavy and you also contract your abs like someone was ripping them off your body. As an added bonus, you boost your metabolism through the roof.

I really don’t need to go into too much detail on this one. My only advice is treat them like sets with weight lifting.

Aim for 20-to-30-second sprints and take 60-second rest breaks in between. Either do passive rest or active rest where you jog lightly or walk briskly.

Perform somewhere in the range of 8 to 12 of these in a workout all by themselves or at the end of a weight training workout.

Whew! That was quite lengthy, but I needed to make sure you had all the pertinent information. As always, honor your body and only do what you are capable of doing. No matter what your age or current fitness level, you have plenty of time to a change the game.

Until next time, my name is K/Rail. I tell it like it is and say it like I see it.

My Six Pack Challenge Subscriber Login

RestoreYourFitness.com strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. You should be in good physical condition and be able to participate in the exercise. RestoreYourFitness.com is not a licensed medical care provider and represents that it has no expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind, or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition. You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge RestoreYourFitness.com from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of RestoreYourFitness.com' negligence.